ABSTRACT
The cause of bulimia nervosa has been discussed and investigated by researchers from a variety of perspectives. Part I of this book addressed the developmental and familial influences on the cause of bulimia nervosa as dieting, maladaptive eating and weight-related attitudes, and eating problems and disorders that emerge during childhood and adolescence at the time of developmental transitions and in individuals who have certain familial characteristics. Although these systemic influences are important to our understanding of the development of bulimia nervosa, characteristics of the individual that increase her vulnerability to bulimia nervosa must also be considered. The focus of the chapters in this section is on the role of individual factors in the origin and maintenance of bulimia nervosa.
